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Ever since we brought Zira home in November 2017, she’s been a picky eater. She would literally rather eat leaves than dog food.

During those first few weeks, she would only eat food out of our hands. She’s nearly 2 years old now and it’s been a consistent struggle to get her to eat enthusiastically. We’ve tried numerous dog food brands, mixing wet food in with dry food, and we even had a period of a few months of making chicken, rice, and veggies to mix in with her food. She would be excited about these new things for a little bit, but would always go back to her usual ways of protesting her meals.

We’re so happy to say that we FINALLY discovered a food that Zira loves! It was a completely random find – we got a sample bag of this freeze-dried raw food at a pet store that we’ve only gone to a few times. We decided to mix it in with her kibble to see how she liked it. Turns out, she’s obsessed! When she kept scarfing it down, we immediately ordered another bag and it’s been smooth sailing for about 2 months now. She’s excited about eating every day, which is such a miracle!

It’s the only thing that’s gotten Zira to be excited about the words “breakfast” and “dinner.” Plus, it’s super easy to use. All we do is mix it with water and add some of her kibble to it, and voila! You would never guess she’s a picky eater anymore.

Today is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day and we wanted to share our adoption story! Last year, we made one of the best decisions of our lives: We adopted a cat! It’s one of the most rewarding things we have ever done. Here’s the story:

We went to The SPCA of Monterey County in November of 2018 and instantly fell in love with this face:

She immediately accepted chin scratches and started purring like crazy. It was like she knew we were meant to be together. Plus, she had similar physical attributes to Zira (blue eyes and a pink nose with black spots!). We just COULDN’T resist! So we made an on-the-spot decision to adopt this beautiful cat and name her Purrdita (named after Perdita from 101 Dalmatians).

The only thing we knew about her is that she was found on the streets, was estimated to be 3 years old, and the SPCA originally gave her the name Cecilia. Other than that, we knew nothing else about her story. But she just seemed like the perfect cat — and we were right! Apparently she loves living in our home too. Just take a look at how much she’s transformed since November of 2018:

Purrdita has gotten so fluffy and looks so much healthier. It’s so rewarding to nurture her and watch her live a happy life. She has the best temperament too. She always greets us with the cutest meows. Our lives are so much better with her!

Her and the dogs were a little wary of each other at first, but now they get along great! Zira cleans her ears, Ellie plays with her, and all 3 of them sleep on the couch together. Just take a look at the three of them in this video:

They promptly sent us the Hoover carpet cleaner and we couldn’t wait to try it out! As you can see, Zira is always excited to get something in the mail.

The unboxing and setup was super simple. Here’s a look at everything you get in the box*.

*Zira the Corgi not included. Click on the images for a closer look.

It even comes with some small bottles of cleaning solutions which was a nice surprise. However, The Home Depot did advise us to get the 64 oz. 2X Deep Clean PET MAX 3-in-1 Carpet Solution separately, because you’ll definitely need more than what comes in the box if you’re going to do a deep clean of wall-to-wall carpeting.

There are easy to follow instructions in the box that explain how to put it all together. It took me maybe 5 minutes to get it all ready. Once it was all set up, it was time to clean (and put Zira in another room, since she’s not a huge fan of the vacuum sounds, and watching it suck up all her fur might be traumatizing)!

As with any carpet cleaner, you’re supposed to vacuum the area first. We did this and were still so shocked to see how much fur and random carpet gunk this thing cleaned up. Ever since we got Zira back in November, we haven’t used a carpet cleaner–just a vacuum. There was SO much corgi floof in our carpet that the vacuum wasn’t getting. Here’s a before and after picture!

Not to mention that using the carpet cleaner is a painless experience. It has sensors that automatically detect whether you’re pushing forward or pulling backward. When you’re pushing forward, it disperses the cleaning solution, which it automatically mixes with water. When you’re pulling back, it dries the carpet. You don’t have to touch any buttons or anything–it just does it for you! It also has a handy “dry only” option for when you’re done cleaning.

If you have carpeted stairs like us, you’ll be happy to know the Hoover comes with a stair-cleaning tool. We tried it out and it’s such a life-saver, because vacuuming or cleaning stairs is always a pain.

All in all, we’re really satisfied with this carpet cleaner! It helps us clean more thoroughly than the vacuum without needing to hire a professional carpet cleaning service. We’re so thankful that the Home Depot reached out to us for this partnership program!

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

As Zira’s loving pawrents, we get a lot of questions about her every day. Here are your answers!

Is Zira a purebred corgi?

Nope! She’s 5/8 Pembroke Welsh Corgi and 3/8 Miniature Australian Shepherd. She has the body of a Pembroke Corgi with the blue merle coloring of an aussie. This mix is commonly called an “augi” or “auggie.” Her mom is a mix and her dad is a purebred tri-color corgi. Here are some pictures of Zira with her mom, whose name is Tesla!

Where does Zira’s name come from?

We named her after the character Zira from the Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. Both of us are huge Disney fans, but we didn’t want to name her something too common. While we were looking through Disney names, Zira just stood out and we think it’s the perfect name for her!

Is she deaf/blind/a double merle?

No, no, and no. A lot of people assume she’s a double merle, which is the result of breeding two merle dogs and often results in a myriad of health problems. Thankfully, this is not the case (as her dad was a tri-color corgi with no merle gene) and she has excellent hearing and sight.

Does she know any tricks?

Yes! As of writing this post, she knows “sit,” “down,” and “shake” (for shaking our hands).

How much does/will she weigh?

Zira currently weighs 15 pounds and we expect her to be between 20 and 25 pounds when she’s fully grown.

Can I send Zira free products for her to post about?

We carefully choose the brands we work with. Plus, we have rates for sponsored posts. If you’re interested in working with Zira for promotions, you can contact us here.

Who is Zira’s breeder?

We’ve decided to only tell people we know personally about Zira’s breeder. Sorry!

Do you have more questions about Zira that we didn’t address? Leave them in the comments below!

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the viral post of our dog Zira in a shopping cart at Target. Upon seeing those photos, you may have wondered, “Can I bring my dog into Target?” Well, we’ve learned that the answer is no. Since our pictures took the Internet by storm, we’ve learned a lot about the laws and store policies that are in place to protect service dogs and their handlers. Although we had seen other dogs at our local Target and the employees and managers asked to pet Zira, we realized it was still a mistake to bring her in because, regardless of the individual circumstances, Target is a service dog-only store.

While Zira is a calm, well-behaved pup who would never harm a soul, not all dogs are. Some dogs may distract–or even attack–service dogs who have important jobs to do. A distracted or attacked service dog may cause the handler to get injured or even die. This is why it’s so important to adhere to laws and store policies.

Thankfully, we’ve also learned that there are plenty of establishments that allow dogs! We took Zira on a shopping trip to show her all the places she’s welcome. And guess what–she had a blast!

*It’s important to note that the stores on this list may leave it up to managers to decide whether their specific locations allow non-service dogs. Additionally, some may only allow dogs if they’re on a leash or of a particular size. To be sure you can bring your pup inside one of these places, call ahead and find out your local store’s policy.*

1. Home Depot

“Look at all of this lumber! WAIT. Are you finally building me my dream doggy mansion?!?”

2. Ross

“This place is so cool! Even dogs can dress for less!”

3. Marshalls

“I picked out a bed and a donut toy! This is the best shopping trip ever!”

4. Michaels

“Is this where you’re getting supplies for my Etsy shop?!”

5. PetSmart (and Other Pet Stores)

“I get new toys and treats, PLUS I get to meet new people and dogs?! PetSmart is my favorite!”